Sealing-in machine



June 11, 1940. F. J. MALLQY SEALING-IN MACHINE- Filed April 13, 1938 Patented June 11, 1940 PATENT oFElcE SEALING-IN MACHINE Frank J. Malloy, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 13, 1938, Serial No. 201,795

Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for sealingin electric lamps and like devices and particularly to apparatus for holding the vitreous lamp parts in properV relation during the sealing-in 5 lprocess. Difliculty has always been experienced in automatically sealing butted vitreous parts together so as to form a perfectly air-tight and strong seal largely because of the improper mating of the parts. Very often there are some varln iations in the surfaces and ther angularity of the vitreous parts to be joined which are apt to interfere with the sealing and which require special operations and apparatus to assure the nal alignment of the parts and manufacture l5 of a good seal. 'I'he bulbs of the larger type lamps such as shown in Wright Patent 2,098,080, which issued November 2, 1937, for instance, vary as much as one-fourth inch in length and are particularly difficult to seal since it is often prezo ferred that the bulb be sealed to the base cup in a definite relation to various portions thereof.

One object of my invention is to provide a sealing head for holding the lamp parts in proper relation during the entire sealing-in process. An-

other object of my invention is to provide a sealing head which holds the lamp bulb' in a fixed position regardless of any variation in length so that pressure may be applied to'the seal to assure more perfect sealing. Other objects and advantages of the apparatus of my invention` will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and from. the accompanying drawimg. y

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sealing head comprising my invention in combination with" other portions of a sealing-in machine showing the manner of holding the lamp bulb and'base cup in proper relation, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a portion of the sealing-in head.

The sealing-in head shown in the drawing is preferably one of a plurality which are mounted at the periphery of a turret, as disclosed in Donovan and Malloy application Serial No. 201,796,

45 of even date, and which are indexed intermittently from one station to another. The sealing-in operation takes place during the rest periods of the heads and, in the instance shown,

consists in the butt sealing of the neck of the glass bulb I0 tothe rim of the glass base cup II. bulb lo is hem by the jaws l2 and la of. a sep- The introduced intoy the head first and is placed thereon when the cap I5 is located in a lower position than shown in the drawing so that clearance is provided for the filament II and leads I8 when the exhaust tube I9 and terminal posts 20 5 attached to said cup are inserted in suitable apertures in said cap I5. 'I'he terminal posts 20 are sealed directly to the base cup II and are connected to the leads I8 which support the lament I1 in a definite krelation to the terminal 10 posts 20 and the shoulder 2I on the bottom of the base cup II. The aperture I9 in the cap I5 is large enough to accommodate the exhaust tube I9 loosely, but the apertures 2U for the terminal posts 20 t the said posts closely and locate the 15 base cup II definitely in the axis of the sealingin head. 'I'he vertical position .of the base cup I I is determined by threeequidistantly spaced studs 22, only one of which shows in the drawing, which engage the locating shoulder 2l of said cup-II 20 and support the full weight of the cup. The cap I5 is mounted on the end of the spindle 23 which is slidably mounted in the turret 24 and which is supported by the track 25. The track 25 is engaged by the shoe 26 on the lower end of the 25 4spindle 23. The cap I5 and spindle 23 function as a single unit and may, for instance, be supplanted by a spindle alone which may be designed tosupport a glass body having a different form from the cup II -and. carrying a different type 30 of internal structurefrom the lament I1 and leads I8.

The bulb I0 is introduced into the jaws I2 and I3 either manually or mechanically, as desired, and is engaged by'the studs 21 carried bythe 35 jaws I2 and I3 which automatically align it with the lower portionl I6 of the head and with the base cup II. The jaws I2 and I3 have bearing portions I0' and Il' pivoted on studs I2 and I3' extending from the lower ends of the downward- 4o ly extending posts 28 and 29 on the disc 30. The said jaws are operated through the downwardly extending arm 3| (Fig. 1) of a lever 3l which engages the ball headed studs 32 extending inwardly from the bearing portions I0 and II' 45 of said jaws. The lever 3| is pivotally mounted on the mid portion of a pin 33 which has its ends mounted in the posts 28 and 29 and is operated either manually or mechanically as desired'through the arm 34 extending therefrom. 50 The heads of ythestuds 32 are located within a closely tting opening formed by the end of the lever 3| andthe plate V35 attached thereto and are of equal length so that the jaws I2 and' I3 are moved equal amounts and always hold the bulb I t in alignment'with the head regardless of variations in size of different bulbs. The arm 3ft of lever 3i is only engaged when opening the jaws l2 and i3 to insert or remove the bulb i9 since the said jaws are normally pulled toward each other by the contracting force of the spring 3b which extends between a post extending from arm 33 and the second post 38 extending from the disc 33. The said jaws are, in the construction shown in the drawing, opening by an upward movement of the' end of the said arm 34.

Prior to the heating of the bulb l and base cup il, the base cup is raised to a sealing position which carries it into contact with the lopen neck of the bulb and, if necessary; pushes the bulb upward in the jaws I2 and I3. The upward movement of the base cup i I is brought about by movement of the spindle `23 over a raised portion of the track 25 and occurs during a period in which the hold-down shoe 39 is held up above the tip end of the bulb I Il. The shoe 39 is, as shown in Fig. 2, mounted on the lower end of rod 4d which has a' transversely extending arm 45 securely attached'thereto, said arm, in turn, carrying a block member 4I on the end thereof which engages a vertically arranged helical cam slotv d2.

When the bulb It is inserted between the jaws arm 43 may, for instance, consist of a cam mounted at a fixed position adjacent the path of movement of the sealing head which the roller 44 engagesduring the indexing movements thereof.

Following the raising movement of the base cup lI and the spindle 23, the unwinding force of the torsion spring 46 and the weight of the rod assembly turns said rod so that the block dI rides down in the cam slot 42 and the shoe 39 is carried downL against the top of the bulb I0. The spring 46 surrounds the upper end of rod 40 and has one end hooked into a hole in the arm 43 and the other end hooked into the upper end of the hollow shaft 41 extending from the disc 30. The cam slot'42 is located .in a downwardly extending flange 48 of the bushing 49 which is attached to the disc 30 and is of suflicient length to give the shoe 39 movement enough to carry it against the shortest bulb III normally encountered. The pitch or slope of the slot 42 is such that a vlimited rotation of the rod 40 produces the required vertical movement but 75 caused to rotate together by separate apparatus.

it is too acute to permit the upward pressure of the bulb to cause the rotation and the consequent vertical movement of the rod.

After the neck of the bulb I0 and the base cup Il have been butted against-each other, both bottom portion I6 of the head as both the top and bottom portions I4 and I6 of the head are of said spindle 23.

vaaoapiv As shown in Fig. 2, the hollow shaft 4l of the upper head portion i4 has attached thereto a gear 50 which meshes with the gear 5I (Fig. 1) on the end of shaft 52, while the spindle 23 of the lower head portion I6 is engaged indirectly by the gear 53 which meshes with the @gear 54 on the other end of shaft 52. 'I'he lower head-portion i6, as already described, is mounted directly on the turret 24, whereas the upper head portion i4 is supported through the bracket 55 engaging the hollow shaft 41 and mounted on a raised portion 56 of said turret 24. The heating of the bulb Il) andl base cup il is brought about by stationary burners (not shown) located at the various indexing stations of Vthe head and by other burners 5l, such as those shown in Fig. i, which are moved in and out of operative relation to the bulb and base cup between indexing movements of the heads.

At the final heating station, the base cup il is raised slightly by movement of the spindle 23 so that it is pressed more tightly against the bulb neck and the entire rim of said bulb neck is pressed and fused to the rim of said base cup. The spindle 23 is raisedr by the lever 58 which pivots on the pin 59 extending from a stationary part of the machine (not shown) and engages the flange 60 on the shoe 26 on the lower end y The weight 6I on the outer end of the lever 58 produces the desired move- -ment thereof when the support provided by rod 62 is withdrawn by movement of lever 63 which engages the cam 64 through roller 65. The cam 64 causes the movement to take place at the correct interval since it is mounted on a shaft 66 the cam 64 turns so that said spindle 23 is allowed to drop'to its former position and the baseicup il, which rests on the upper end of cap i5, drops down with said spindle 23 lonly so far as the weight of the cupA Ii will stretch the seal. This working of the seal tends torelieve the strains therein and makes the lamp more shock resistant.

While I have shown one specific embodiment 'of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications, substitutions or omissions may be `made':therei n without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secur'e by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

1. A sealing-in head for supporting a vitreous bulb in abutting relation with a vitreous cup having terminal posts extending therefrom and a shoulder at the bottoxnsthereof located in denite relation to a filament carried by said cup comprising means for vsupporting said bulb in a deflnite position and a spindle having means thereon engaging the said shoulder and the terminal posts on said cup for supporting and positioning the cup ina definite relation to the` bulb, and means adjacent to said bulb-supporting means and movablerelatively thereto for engaging the end of said bulb and urging it against the said cup.'

- 2.' A sealing-in head for supporting a vitreous bulb'in .abutting relation with a vitreous cup having a shoulder at the bottom thereof and an exhaust tube and terminal posts extending therefrom with a filament carried by said cup and definitely located with` respect to said shoulder and posts comprising means for supporting said bulb in Va definite position, a spindle located in definite relation to said bulb supporting means,

` therefrom and a shoulder at the bottom thereof located in a definite relation to a filament carried by said cup comprising a pair of jaws adapted to grip the sides of said bulb and hold it in a definite position, a spindle located in a definite relation to said jaws having means thereon engaging the said shoulder and terminal posts on said cup for supporting the cup in alignment with the said bulb, means for moving said'spindle toward said jaws to carry the cup into abutting engagement with the open end of the bulb so that the abutting surfaces of each are located at a sealing position and means movable relatively to said jaws for engaging the closed end of said bulb and thereafter preventing the said bulb from moving in the jaws out of contact with the cup during the sealing of said `bulb and cup.

4. A sealing-in head for supporting a vitreous bulb in abutting relation with a vitreous body supporting an element to be sealed in the bulb 4comprising a pair of jaws adapted to engage the sides of the bulb and hold it in a definite position, means located below said jaws for holding the vitreous body in abutting relation with said bulb and means located adjacent to said jaws and engaging the upper end of the bulb for preventing upward movement thereof in said jaws away from the vitreous body and its holding means comprising cam means having a surface with an acute angle of slope, means comprising a portion engaging the cam surface and another portion movable substantially at right angles thereto and adapted to engage the upper end of the said bulb, and means for producing a relative movement between said cam and said engagement means to cause said engagement means to move down and engage said bulb, the angle of slope of said cam surface being such as to preclude upward movement of said engagement means by upward pressure eX- erted against said bulb yduring the sealing process.

5. A sealing-in head for supporting a vitreous bulb in abutting relation with a vitreous body supporting an element to be sealed in the bulb comprising a pair of jaws adapted to engage the sides of said bulb and hold it in a definite position, means located below said jaws for. holding said vitreous body in abutting relation with said bulb, and means located adjacent to said jaws and engaging the upper end of said bulb for preventing upward movement thereof in said jaws away from the vitreous body and its holding means comprising cam means having a vertically arranged helical slot with a slight angle of slope, a vertically disposed rod having means attached to its lower end adapted to engage the top of the bulb to hold it in place and a laterally extending arm also attached thereto and hav- `ing a member thereon engaging the-said cam slot to lower the means on the end of said rod into engagement with said bulb, the angle of slope of said cam slot being such as to preclude upward movement of said rod by the upward pressure exerted against said bulb during the sealing process.

6. A sealing-'in head for supporting a vitreous bulb in abutting relation with a vitreous cup having terminal posts extending therefrom and a shoulder on the bottom thereof located in a definite relation to a filament supported by said vcup comprising a pair of jaws adapted to grip the sides of said bulb and hold it in a definite position, a spindle located in a definite relation to said jaws and in alignment with said bulb having means thereon engaging the said shoulder and terminal posts for supporting said cup in alignment with said bulb, means for moving said spindle toward said jaws to carry said cup into abutting engagement with said bulb so that the abutting surfaces of each are located/at a sealing position and means for thereafter preventing the said bulb from moving in said jaws out of contact with said cup while said bulb and cup are sealed together comprising a cam having a surface with an acute angle of slope, means having a portion engaging the cam surface and another portion movable substantially at right Vangles thereto and adapted to engage the upper end of said bulb, and means for producing a relative movement between said cam and said engagement means to cause said engagement means4 to move down and engage said bulb, the angle of slope of said cam surface being such as to preclude upward movement of said engagement Ymeans by upward pressure exerted against said bulb during the sealing process.

'7. A sealing-in head for supporting a vitreous bulb in abutting relation `with a vitreous cup having a shoulder at the bottom thereof and an exhaust tube and terminal posts extending therefrom with a filament carried by said cup and definitely located with respect to said shoulder and posts comprising a pair of jaws adapted to engage the sides of said bulb andl hold it in a deflnite position, a spindle located in deflnite relation to said jaws, a cap mounted on said spindle having means thereon engaging the said shoulder on the cup and aperturestherein to accommodate the exhaust tube and to hold the terminal posts to position the said cup in a definite relation to said bulb, means for moving said spindle toward said jaws to carry the cup into abutting engagement with the bulb so that the abutting surfaces of each are located at a sealing position, and means located adjacent to said jaws and engaging the upper end of the bulb for preventing further upward movement thereof in said jaws, said means comprising cam means having a vertically arranged helical slot with a slight angle of slope, a vertically disposed rod having means attached to' its lower end adapted to engage the top of the bulb to hold in place and a laterally extending arm also attached thereto and having a member thereon engaging the said cam slot, said rod. being arranged to be rotated to cause said arm member to ride down insaid cam slot to lower the means on the end of thev rod into engagement with the bulb, the angle of slope of said cam slot being such as to preclude upward movement of'said rod by the upward pressure exerted against said bulb during the sealing process.

8. A sealing-in head for supporting an open- 'ended vitreous bulb in abutting relation with a vitreous cup having terminal posts depending therefrom and an annular shoulder at the bottom thereof `located in definite relation to a filament carried by said cup comprising jaws for supporting said bulb in a definite axial position with its open end lowermost, and a vertically disposed spindle below'said jaws having a cap portion at its upper end with a plurality of pins extending upwardly therefrom for engaging said cup at its annular shoulder to position it vertically with respect to said bulb, said cap portion having vertical apertures therein fitting said cup terminal posts closely and arranged to position said cup axially in denite relation to said bulb, and means adjacent to and vertically movable relative to said bulb-supporting jaws for engaging the upper end of said` bulb4 and urging it downward against the said cup.

9. A sealing-in head for supporting an openended vitreous bulb in abutting relation with a vitreous body supporting an element to be sealed in said bulb comprising a pair of jaws adapted to engage the sides of the said bulb and hold it in a definite position with itsopen end lowermost, means located below said jaws for holding the said vitreous body in abuttingrelation with the lower end of said bulb, and mechanism 1ocated adjacent to said jaws and engaging the nisin comprising vertically arranged helical cam means and cooperatingengagement means arranged to be moved downward to engage the said bulb, the angle of slope of said cam means being such as to preclude upward movement of said engagement means by upward pressure exerted against said bulb during the sealing process.

,10. Apparatus of the class described comprising in combination a vertically disposed spindle having means at the'upper end thereof for supporting a vitreous base member, jaws arranged above said spindle for holding a vitreous bulb open end downward and in denite relation to said spindle and to the said base member thereon, means for raising said spindle a deiinite distance to carry said base member into abutting relation with the lower open end of said bull: and into a predetermined heating position means for engaging the upper lend of 'said bull: and urging it downward to hold it securely against said base member, means for heating the adjacent abutting portions of said bulb and base members to fuse them together, and mean: for subsequently further raising said spindle tc compress the fused joint between said bulb and base member and for then lowering said spindle to permit the said base member, by its weight to stretch the said fused joint.

FRANK J. MALLOY. 

